An evening pairing Balanchine's Serenade and Agnes de Mille's Rodeo with Christopher Bruce's Hush and a new work by the company's Resident Choreographer.


OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 8, 2026) — Oklahoma City Ballet will present SHORTS, a program of 
four ballets, at Civic Center Music Hall on Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m., 
and Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $55 to $130 and are on sale now.


The evening opens with To Carry Our Own Names, choreographed by Oklahoma City Ballet Resident Choreographer DaYoung Jung. Originally commissioned for the Joffrey Ballet's Winning Works 2026, the piece reflects on the memories, relationships, challenges and experiences that people carry with them as they grow into their own identities.


The program continues with George Balanchine's Serenade. Created in 1934 as the first ballet Balanchine choreographed in the United States, it is set to Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48. A landmark of the neoclassical style, the ballet is known for its abstract beauty, its moonlit atmosphere, and the pale blue, floor-length tulle skirts and simple blue backdrop that define its look. Oklahoma City Ballet performed the work in 2016.


Christopher Bruce's Hush follows, set to the album of the same name by Yo-Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin. Blending classical ballet with contemporary movement, the work has a lighthearted, folk-inflected feel. Six dancers portray two parents and their four children, a family of street-performing mimes inspired by early silent film, in a portrait of the humor, love and quirks of family life.


SHORTS closes with Agnes de Mille's Rodeo. First staged in 1942 with music by Aaron Copland, the ballet brought American themes, folk dance and tap into classical ballet to tell the story of a tomboy cowgirl seeking love and a sense of identity on a Western ranch. A landmark of American dance, it paved the way for de Mille's work on Oklahoma!.


“Performing a wide variety of ballets is essential for every company. SHORTS lets our dancers show the full range of their craft, from the pure classicism of Balanchine to the storytelling of Agnes de Mille and the contemporary voices of Christopher Bruce and DaYoung Jung. Each work asks something different of them, and audiences see athleticism and artistry in many forms in a single evening." said Artistic Director Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye.


Performance Details
• What: SHORTS, presented by Oklahoma City Ballet
• Where: Civic Center Music Hall, Oklahoma City
• When: Friday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 25, 2 p.m.
• Tickets: $55–$130, available at okcballet.org, from Oklahoma City Ballet at (405) 843-9898, or from the Civic Center box office at (405) 594-8300

 

SHORTS is sponsored by Bryan Garrett Law, the Kirkpatrick Family Fund and Braum's.